KNUST VC Challenges Agricultural Economists To Lead Research Into Agriculture Challenges

Vice Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) is pushing Agricultural Economists to lead research into the numerous challenges facing Ghana’s agriculture and help proffer solutions.

Prof. Kwasi Obiri-Danso in his speech read on his behalf at the 2nd National Conference of the Ghana Association of Agriculture Economists (GAAE) at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, says policy makers will have an informed basis to deliver suitable interventions that will ensure the modernization of our agriculture, ensure our food security and expand employment.

He reminded the participants of the multidimensional nature of the challenges facing agriculture today and advised that a stakeholder approach be adopted in finding solutions.

He lamented the drop in agriculture’s contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country from about 60% to less than 20% and a decline in agriculture growth rate from a high of 7.4% in 2008 to as low as 2.5% in 2016; a situation he says highlights the major challenges in the agricultural sector.

The Vice Chancellor believes any challenge facing agriculture will impact on national food security, household food security and employment.

He commended GAAE for choosing a relevant theme for their meeting and encouraged them to be proactive in conducting research that helps the country improve her agriculture.

The 4-day conference is on the theme “Ghana’s Agriculture, Food Security and job creation”.

The conference brought together Agricultural economists, rural sociologists, agribusiness experts, agronomists and industry players from all over Ghana.